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I saw a recipe similar to this in Food & Wine magazine a couple months ago. I passed it by because it was February (or thereabouts) and I wasnt thinking about summertime side dishes….When I saw it recently on foodgawker, I knew I had to snag it and try it!

Look at all those fresh ingredients

We had it on Memorial Day to accompany our marinated steaks and other assorted fare……We couldnt get enough of it!! It’s delicious. I couldnt find the Spike Seasoning that the recipe references, but I looked it up and just combined a couple spices together in my cupboard to give it a boost. I also couldnt use the spicy Ancho Chili powder because my parents cant tolerate spicy food, but I can only imagine how INSANELY AWESOME that would make it! Especially since it was already amazing without the extra kick.

There are so many fresh ingredients in this dish. And quinoa is a healthy grain and an excellent choice if you are trying to watch your carb intake.

Check the quinoa package to see if it needs to be rinsed (it often does) and rinse in a fine-mesh strainer if needed. Combine quinoa, water, and salt and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Fluff quinoa with a fork and let it cool while you prep other ingredients.

Drain the beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse well with cold water, until no more foam appears. Let beans drain until they are quite dry (or pat dry with paper towels if you want to speed it up.)

Cut out the stem and remove seeds from the red bell pepper and cut into very small dice (about the size of the black beans.) Slice the green onions into thin slices and wash, dry, and chop the cilantro.

When the quinoa is fairly cool, combine quinoa, black beans, diced red bell pepper, and sliced green onion in a bowl. Add enough dressing to moisten all the ingredients. (You probably won’t need all the dressing, but save the extra to stir into any leftover salad that’s been in the fridge.) Gently stir in the chopped cilantro and serve.

This keeps very well in the fridge for several days. The salad absorbs the dressing when it’s refrigerated, so it’s best with a little more dressing stirred in when you’re eating the leftover salad.